LuxLeaks whistleblower trial heads for appeal

A Luxembourg court ruling in the so-called LuxLeaks tax scandal will be revisited in its entirety, the state prosecution said Tuesday, after two men were sentenced for leaking documents that implicated hundreds of multinational firms in tax avoidance schemes.

Antoine Deltour and Raphael Halet, both former employees of global accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, were given suspended prison sentences and fines in June. A third man, French reporter Edouard Perrin who helped publish the findings, was cleared of all charges.

The sentences were criticized by many as an intimidating sign to whistleblowers.

Deltour and Halet announced following the verdict that they would appeal. The state prosecutor has now followed suit, in a move that will ensure that the entirety of the case is reviewed, spokesman Henri Eippers said Tuesday.

The LuxLeaks scandal came to light in 2014, when an international team of investigative journalists reported that Luxembourg had helped more than 340 multinationals - including Pepsi, IKEA and Deutsche Bank - to avoid paying billions of euros in taxes.

The findings gave new momentum to a global crackdown on corporate tax avoidance and evasion.

No date has been set for the appeal hearing, Eippers said, adding that he expected it to take place late this year or early in 2017.

Beirut (dpa) - Syrian government forces and their allies advanced deeper into the shrinking rebel-held enclave in eastern Aleppo on Wednesday, seizing the Old City, while demanding the armed opposition groups leave the area.